Posts Tagged best practice
Ditch your Facebook Page and embrace Facebook subscribe!!
Posted by samuel289 in Samuel Reynolds - On My Mind, Social Media on October 5, 2011
To be honest, Facebook (FB) Subscriptions is just FB adopting the Twitter model isn’t it? Where Facebook has histor
ically been about creating a more personal social network based around friends and family, Twitter is more a voyeuristic social network allowing anyone to follow anyone and see everything they post. So, whilst you can use Twitter to communicate with friends and family etc its basic model is thus; you post any random thought in your head (140 characters at a time) and any random fellow who follows you will see those arbitrary thoughts show up in their Twitter feed.
Recently Google has had a go. When Google launched the Google+ social network, it created a sort of hybrid of Twitter and Facebook. Google+ also lets yo
u put others in Circles (a.k.a. “follow”) who are not part of your social network. The Circles concept, and the ability to choose who will see a given post on a case by case basis enables you to switch seamlessly between sharing personal information with family and friends, as well as posting tech news, sports highlights, and other items that interest you to the public domain.
Now, these evolutions all lead onto the new FB subscribe functionality and why it works on a personal and business level. There are two reasons that I am embracing Facebook Subscriptions, and will be eventually abandoning my Facebook Page. One is that it makes it simpler to manage Facebook, and two is that it creates the potential for more dynamic, engaging dialogue.
Relying on Subscriptions rather than maintaining a separate Facebook Page cuts your effort in half. Right now you basically manage two separate Facebook profiles – one personal and one public. You have to switch back and forth to check notifications and wall posts don’t you. There are times when I have posted the same topic to both my personal Facebook social network, and my Facebook Page. Each discussion is valuable on its own, but merging the voices into one conversation makes a whole that is more valuable than the sum of its parts. I have to flip from one to the other to read and respond to comments at the moment, but not anymore. Segregating the personal and public profiles also limits the discussion. Posting something to the general public opens the dialogue to different perspectives and concepts that bring life to the conversation and expand the horizons for all involved.
What do you think?
Fast-Forward your branding with Video in Email
Posted by samuel289 in Samuel Reynolds - On My Mind, So what's next in digital? on April 27, 2011
Marketers! We’re in the midst of a time where video engagement is at an all time high online! People are watching more video, on all types of mediums for longer periods.
Yeah, we all know this you say! …but are you utilising this?
Companies who have introduced video into email are reporting significant improvement in quality of content and consumer interaction. Recipients are not only increasingly receptive to video content and its message but they are also interacting with it more than they would with normal imagery or text. I’m seeing companies increasingly turning to video to help build and strengthen their branding as well as their message to the recipient with resounding success.
However, it is by no means an easy next step in email marketing. Various elements need to be assessed, potential limitations broached and best practice implemented. The advice below may read as obvious but trust me, ignore it at your peril.
Firstly, HTML5. For video in email to function it necessitates the browser that the email is being opened in is coded in HTML5. All latest browser versions are in HTML5 but this doesn’t mean your whole audience has updated their browsers with the latest update or even know they need to for video to run. HTML5 not being fully functional in all your recipients’ browsers means a big chunk of your audience will be unable to view the email (approximately 70% of your list I hear on the industry grapevine i.e. it is completely dependent on your own list and can’t be generalised here). So companies have to create an alternative way for users to still get their message if they are not able to view the video.
Don’t worry though; code can be implemented so that it will replace the previous video code if it is not viewable in the browser the email is opened in. This means that you can sleep easy in the knowledge that your entire audience will be able to view content in your e-mail. You could have your video replaced by text or even an image that will allow them to view/click-through. Ok, so it’s not as dominant as video but having this as a backup will considerably increase conversion rates for those who use browsers not supporting HTML5.
Secondly, most people are inclined to have the video on auto-play with sound, meaning on opening the email the video will kick in and play straight away. Unexpectedly, it is being shown that videos on auto-play with the sound can increase your complaint rate. So, if you are going to use video email when messaging your list, by all means code it to auto-play on opening. However, be sure to have the video on mute, giving your viewers an option to turn on the sound if they desire. This will reduce the potential aggravation a user may find in being blasted with sound from the video and also speed up interaction time by them un-muting the sound when they become interested in the video they are viewing.
Content consumption continues to climb throughout the online arena, it is our responsibility to keep the world’s eyes on our own brands. Whilst this becomes increasingly difficult in the market, evidence is vastly proving that video in email is becoming a more prominent role for this. So as you said at the start;
“Yeah, we know!” …but are you utilising it?
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